Hypnotic Phenomena

Some of the most interesting aspects of hypnosis are those of various hypnotic phenomena. Most interesting is the fact that all hypnotic phenomena are also experienced almost daily by people in a completely conscious state. The phenomena range from the development of both positive hallucination and negative hallucinations concerning visual, auditory, and the kinesthetic senses, anesthesia, analgesia, amnesia, revivification, age regression, time distortion, and dissociation, to name a few.

All hypnotic phenomena occur in the conscious state as demonstrated in the following examples:
Negative Hallucination – Running for work in the morning, we often run searching for our car keys, only to find them staring us in the face, right where we previously looked.
Positive Hallucination – Often new traffic signs are miss-spelled, yet we read them as they should have been written, because of what we expect to see.
Amnesia – Everyone sooner or later forgets something, they absolutely know, then eventually remembers.

These were only a few examples, but I am sure the reader only has to think about any of the varied hypnotic phenomena, to remember his/her own experiences. I am sure many people often develop or purposely cause many hypnotic phenomena in order to do the things they have to do. For instance one of the most widespread hypnotic suggestions for those afflicted with nervousness during public speaking is to imagine the audience naked. I for one have never had to be told to imagine anyone naked, but I am rather selective as to whom I choose to see this way.

The most effective technique for producing any hypnotic phenomenon is through association. This is true because everything we are exposed to reminds us of previous learnings. For example, if I wanted someone to think about their mother, all I would have to do is begin talking about my mother, and the person would naturally associate to their own experiences with their own mother, in order to have an understanding.
A routine which is very practical for eliciting and achieving any hypnotic phenomenon is as follows:
a) Provide universal examples,
b) Pace and lead, and
c) Directly suggest the hypnotic phenomenon.

Topics presently covered below on this page are "Amnesia, Dissociation, Depersonalization, Revivification, Age Regression, Time Distortion, Analgesia and Anesthesia:. (More will follow with time)

Amnesia:
Amnesia may or may not occur spontaneously during hypnosis. It is not a reliable criteria for the hypnotic state. It may be conceptualized as a mechanism that interferes with the retrieval of information; the subject appears unable to bring the forgotten material into awareness. More often it is produced through post hypnotic suggestion. When amnesia has occurred, there is a selective loss of memory following dehypnotization.

The subject is “unaware” of what has occurred during hypnotically produced amnesia, however, the recollections are only held in abeyance. Most good subjects, when rehypnotized, can remember nearly everything that happened during the hypnotic session; others gradually forget some or all of their experience. Still others, even thought of as deeply hypnotized, have an inordinate need to maintain control and will not develop amnesia.
The hypnotic phenomenon of amnesia occurs as an everyday experience. The name of an old friend, for example, can be forgotten temporarily when an introduction is being made. Either spontaneous or suggested amnesia can be used for evaluating the depth of hypnosis; the former generally is indicative of deep hypnosis (i.e. somnambulism). Here, loss of memory for whole segments of an individual’s life are produced, the dissociation is analogous to the fugue states noted in amnesia victims.

Suggested hypnotic amnesia is somewhat comparable with the everyday experience of repressing painful experiences. The duration of the amnesia is not predictable.

Vol. 3 The Collected Papers of Milton Erickson, pgs. 71 - 90, describes a variety of hypnotic amnesia. Some of the types described include:

Amnesia by distraction (pg. 73),
"Milton Erickson, in fact, makes it a routine practice not to talk to the patient about trance events immediately upon awakening. The trance state persists for a few moments after the appearance of wakefulness. Questioning during this period frequently permits full recall. Milton Erickson typically engages the patient in casual conversations, anecdotes, and shaggy dog stories very remote from the hypnotic experience for a while after trance termination to effect an amnesia by distraction. Alternatively Milton Erickson will sometimes "rush" a patient out of the office to avoid talk about the trance session. He will distract and do just about anything he can to make the waking situation very different from the trance situation and thus promote amnesia."

Amnesia by indirect hypnotic suggestion (pg. 75),
"When a direct hypnotic suggestion for amnesia is given, the observing ego takes note of it, just as it quietly takes note of most direct hypnotic suggestions. Having noted the suggestion, the ego later has the power of choice as to whether or not the suggestion shall be carried out. When the subject has this awareness of a suggestion, he can debate with himself regarding its merits and decide about carrying it out. When a suggestion is made indirectly, however, even the observing ego tends to miss the fact that a hypnotic suggestion has been given. With little or no awareness of the suggestion, there is little or no ability to debate or negate it. Indirectly administered hypnotic suggestions are programmed more easily into preconscious or unconscious levels and can then emerge more naturally in the patient's ordinary course of behavior."

Structured Amnesia (Amnesia by Reorientation in Time) (pg. 84),
"The structured amnesia is effected by awakening the subjects in a manner that reorients him or her to the exact place, time and associative point of consciousness where they were when they entered trance. The total situation is so structured that the trance period falls into a lacuna between two events structured to be so identical that consciousness does not recognize them as two, and is thus amnesic for all that occurred between them."

An example of this would be simply asking about the weather, or traffic conditions before the hypnotic induction and upon trance termination continuing the earlier weather, or traffic conversation immediately re-orienting the subject back to the time before trance.

Amnesia by Confusion (Yapko, Trancework, 1989) (pg.272),
“…and now that you’ve had the opportunity to discover new possibilities…while you can learn from past experiences…your conscious mind can begin to wonder…how it will know which things to remember…and which things only your unconscious need know…and then you can remember…to forget…or you may choose to forget to remember…but when you remember to forget what you’ve forgotten to remember…your memory of forgetting forgets what it has forgotten…but you can only forget what you’ve forgotten when you realize it’s too difficult to remember anyway…and then you can forget all the confusion and relax more deeply…”

The most basic purpose behind the use of eliciting amnesia is to protect the client from doubting, debating, and potentially negating any of the hypnotherapeutic benefits associated with the session due to his/her own conscious sets and attitudes.

By administering hypnotic suggestions indirectly, so they are not recognized by consciousness, the suggestions are able to enter the clients unconscious mind, and are there utilized in a optimal manner for the clients overall development. Hypnotic amnesia thus protects therapeutic hypnotic suggestions from the limitations of the clients conscious sets.

Everyday examples of amnesia would be:
a) An introduction to someone, and almost immediately having forgotten the person’s name.
b) Having an appointment at some point in the day, yet forgetting because of being absorbed in some other activity. This would also involve time-distortion.
c) Waking up in a foreign location abruptly often causes one to wonder where he or she is.
d) Being temporarily distracted from some occupation such as counting, often results in having to start at the beginning again.
e) Having arrived somewhere yet not realizing anything about the trip because of being absorbed in other thoughts.

Dissociation:
Dissociation is somewhat similar to hypnotic amnesia. It refers to the inherent ability of a hypnotized subject to “detach” himself from his immediate environment. This phenomenon occurs at nonhypnotic levels, as in reverie states.
An individual may be completely dissociated and yet retain his capacity to function adequately. This dissociated state is similar to dreaming, when one “sees” himself performing many activities. Nearly all situations produced in dreams can be attained in the dissociated state by appropriate post hypnotic suggestion. A well-conditioned subject can “step out” of himself and see himself sitting on the other side of the room.

Dissociation is frequently used to induce hypnoanesthesia. The following remark to a deeply hypnotized patient in a dentist’s chair automatically will raise the pain threshold: “You would not mind going out to the ball park, would you? It is such a nice day for a baseball game, isn’t it?”

In Dave Elman's "Hypnotherapy" pg. 75, he demonstrates the bypass of a patients gag reflex during a dental examination using dissociation, by having the patient concentrate on holding a pencil tightly with two hands.

Elman: "Doctor, come up here and examine this gentleman's throat any way you want to, and try to make him gag after I show him what to do … [to patient] Hold that pencil tightly with both hands, and you'll find you can't gag so long as you hold that pencil tightly. Watch this .. [to examining doctor] make any examination you want to. You won't be able to make him gag so long as he holds the pencil … You use that technique doctor, and I promise that you can have dental work done - you can have medical work done. Just hold on to the pencil - that's all - hold on to the pencil with both hands. And you'll have the nicest result."

One of my favorite routines for dissociation is Milton Erickson’s “Middle of nowhere” technique, which guides a person to nowhere in particular, yet some place, in turn, dividing a person in the experience.
“…and when you sit that way, it can become so easy to recognize that a part of you is here…but when the rest of you drifts away….and it can drift away…and you really don’t know where it goes, do you?...to the middle of nowhere…where there is no time…and there is no place…in the middle of nowhere…there can just be my voice…and your thoughts…and nowhere is such a fine place to be…because nowhere else can one be so free to be nowhere…after all, you always have to be somewhere, sometime…but not now…nowhere is fine…and the middle of nowhere is a very pleasant place to be, isn’t it?...”


Depersonalization:
Depersonalization can be induced readily in a good subject through post hypnotic suggestion. He can be told to forget his own identity and assume that he is another person. This is accomplished most easily by asking him “Who is your favorite person?” The hypnotist then suggests that he is that person.

Depersonalization can be used for psychotherapeutic purposes that are similar to those mentioned under dissociation.


Revivification and Age Regression:
Revivification must be differentiated from age regression. With revivification, the hypnotized person actually relives earlier events of his life, all memories following the age to which the subject is regressed are eliminated. On the other hand, with age regression, the subject plays a role, there is a simulated pattern of acting out past events in the framework of the present. This type of age regression is called pseudorevivification.

The phenomenon of revivification is produced by post hypnotic suggestions directed toward progressively suggesting disorientation as to the year, the month, and the day, then, by appropriate hypnotic suggestions, an earlier age level is reached.

Some investigators believe that long-forgotten memories are not reactivated but rather are simulated, and that nonregressive elements are present. However, it has been demonstrated frequently that with revivification the subjects exhibit many of the personality traits of earlier periods in their lives. Intellectual functioning, for example, which is indicated by the manner of speaking and the choice of words, is childlike; the handwriting changes, and there are other objective manifestations that corroborate the validity of the revivification.

It is possible, however, that much of the descriptive material revealed during revivification is due to role-playing or “screen-memories”. This “misremembering” can occur in response to a prior suggestion that a specific act took place; later the act is reinstated as if it were an original memory. It appears that recall is not improved for unimportant mnemonic material, but is improved greatly under hypnosis when strong emotional elements are associated with the memories.

The best way to obtain revivification is for the hypnotist to identify himself with a surrogate figure that the subject once knew. If, for example, the hypnotist plays the role of a friendly person, he can remark: “You are now in the fourth grade. I happened to be talking to your teacher, and she told me how well you are doing in school.” Some subjects will respond with genuine affection and warmth, but one should be carefull with the choice of words due to a strong possibility of initiating false memories.

There are various degrees of revivification and regression that can occur simultaneously, depending on the depth of hypnosis. This accounts for the diversity of opinions as to their distinguishing features. Nevertheless, the effects of either revivification or regression can produce what seem like meaningful emotional experiences that are compatible with earlier age levels. It seems that most spontaneous age regressions contain some facet of revivification as well. This has been referred to as retrogression or dynamic regression.

To obtain revivification, the subject is told that, upon a given signal, “You are soon going to be 10 years of age, and you can see yourself clearly at that age and everything that is happening.” (A few minutes are allowed to elapse to allow sufficient time for the reorientation to take place.) The signal is then given. The subject is asked, “What is the date today? How old are you today? What are you doing? Who are some of the people around you?” Additional conversation in the past tense will help to establish the regression more firmly.

With the use of hypnotic training, I would say that anyone can develop a very astute ability to produce any form of hypnotic phenomena to a point that the experience can be brought on instantaneously for whatever purpose desired.

Age Progression:
Age Progression, also known as “future pacing”, “pseudo-orientation in time”, and “time projection”, are some of Milton H. Erickson’s greatest contribution to the field of psychotherapy.

Hypnotic age progression is a technique used to orient a subject into the future in real time, as though living the experience, or simply to watch what the future might hold, considering whatever circumstance which are offered.

The main purpose behind Erickson’s use of “pseudo-orientation in time” was his understanding that making a concrete reality of a positive future vision could be more curative than simply having the client wait and see how the changes gained might serve. When Milton Erickson did focus on the past, it was most often to gather information, or resources for future oriented work. In fact one of Erickson’s most inventive thoughts, which has been copied by the likes of Richard Bandler, was to orient a client into the future having the challenge at hand resolved, then looking back and noticing what was done to create the desired changes. Erickson would then have his client tell him what needs to be done, while in trance. With the necessary information gathered, he would offer suggestions for amnesia, then bring the client back to the present and apply what he was told. The client would then go away all fixed up, and Erickson would be most delighted, because the offered changes came from the client’s unconscious, which knows best what would work for him, or her.

Age progression can, and is accomplished both in and out of trance. The difference is that, when experienced in trance, the client attains an entirely different phenomenological world view of time, sensation, and experience of the self, rather than a simple overlay of time orientation upon one’s reality.

Age progression, similar to all other hypnotic phenomena is also an everyday process we constantly encounter. Working in construction for instance, I notice that the only people getting things done efficiently are those who can future orient towards the finished product. Another example would be the average person saving for retirement. Such things would not be possible, or even begin, without a momentary look into the future, and generally the clearer and more colorful the outlook, the easier it is for the person to work toward it.


Time Distortion:
This is when we learn that time has passed either slower or faster than we had expected.

Common everyday occurrences of time distortion are:
a) Waiting for a bus during a freezing cold snowstorm – time seems to go much slower.
b) If you have ever stopped to watch a pot of water begin to boil, you might notice that time almost seems to stop.
c) If in a hurry to get somewhere, and you happen to be in a bank line-up, time doesn’t only seem to stop, but personally I think it actually does, so I always have a book at hand.
d) Whenever we are having a good time, time seems to go very quickly.
e) Most often when we are given a set time to do something, it often isn’t enough time, so the hurrying seems to make time fly.


Analgesia and Anesthesia:
I have these grouped together because of their similarity, with the difference being that with analgesia one can still feel pressure, whereas with anesthesia, one feels nothing. Both are useful for pain relief.

Common everyday occurrences would be:
a) Arms and/or legs falling asleep when inactive for some time.
b) Playing in the snow often causes numbing of the extremities.
c) Memories of experiences produced with the help of sedatives such as Novocain, if dwelled upon could also bring this phenomenon on.
d) Another fine example is that of losing the sensation of one’s socks or shoes after having put them on. The body forgets and loses sensation unless re-associated somehow.
e) If one begins to watch a movie when they have a headache, they often loose touch with their headache. This could also be associated to amnesia, which is argumentable.

Analgesia is probably the easiest of the hypnotic phenomena to achieve because it is often a natural by-product produced with the formal induction of hypnosis. Quite often one only has to begin with an arm levitation induction, producing catalepsy, or any hypnotic induction for that matter and the focused yet relaxed state has the effect of producing analgesia in the arm, and often the whole body if a physically relaxing hypnotic induction is used. Failing the ability of the induction to provide this hypnotic phenomenon, I would begin using associating language such as "how my arm fell asleep, while watching “The Lord of the Rings” the other night, and how the movie took me back to childhood memories, when I would be out playing in the snow, and it was so cold, that I couldn’t feel my hand’s, or feet while I played, and I found it so interesting how you could still function, and form snowballs having no sensation of the cold in your hands, then putting those hand up to my ears, and thinking that they had disappeared. Now I don’t know if you have had such similar memories, but if you have, I wonder if you could remember what that was like, right now … that’s right, so cold, yet unaware, just surprised, to know you’re able to function comfortably, without pain, to know no pain that’s right, it’s so easy to forget, and feel nothing, but the numbing, spreading, wider, just like forgetting about the shoes on your feet, you can forget, or just allow that comfort to spread, feeling nothing, except the comfort, in knowing that it’s all in your control."


Catalepsy:
Catalepsy is primarily a suspension of all voluntary movement, and has been defined as an “involuntary tonicity of the muscles” , and as “a condition of well-balanced tonicity” .

Catalepsy is a natural phenomenon occurring during hypnosis and in everyday life, whenever one’s attention is sharply focused on a specific interest at hand. During this focused interest, the limbs of the body can be moved and surprisingly held in position without any effort by the subject. This state is possible due to the body’s ability to have opposing sets of muscles all balanced against each other, resulting in what has been referred to as “waxy flexibility”. Milton Erickson viewed catalepsy as a sign of trance as well as a means of inducing and deepening the hypnotic state.

Common everyday examples of catalepsy can be noticed whenever someone is doing something physical, while having an interesting conversation with another. The person might reach out for something, then catch wind of an interesting point, and appear to remain fixed in place as she listens intently, only to continue her movement once the point being heard has ended.

Hallucinations to Sensory Alterations:
Hallucinations & Sensory Alterations are part and parcel of the same hypnotic phenomenon wherein one cannot have one’s senses altered without some form of hallucination included.

Hallucinations have two separate forms. The first is that of “positive hallucinations”, in which a person perceives something in the physical environment that is not there in reality. The second is that of “negative hallucinations”, in which something present in the environment is not perceived by the individual.

Both positive and negative hallucinations can be experienced in each or all of the senses simultaneously, including the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, gustatory and somatic senses. Of further interest to the hypnotherapeutic process is the fact that, hallucinations are pseudoreal experiences for the subject having them, in that they can trigger other emotional reactions.


Ideodynamic Responses:
Ideodynamic responses are a natural part of the human response mechanism, and exist on three different levels termed ideomotor, ideosensory, and the ideoaffective response.

Each of the above different responses operates on an automatic unconscious level, and is considered measurable.

Ideomotor responses, are automatic physical movements which might even be microscopic in nature due to mental experiences. I remember reading a text by Robert Masters titled “Neurospeak”, in which the reader learns that the mere thought of a movement causes our mind to send measurable, minute electrical impulses to each and every muscle that were to be used in the movement, as though it were actually happening. In turn one could actually get the benefit of stretching by simply thinking about it. I guess this is why some people work up a sweat while watching others exercise. An everyday example would be that of hitting the breaks, as a passenger in a vehicle, when its time to stop.

Ideosensory responses, are that of physical sensations experienced, due to some externalized suggestion. An example might be the lemon test used by hypnotists, in order to create a sour flavor or taste on one’s pallet, merely by imagining biting into a lemon.

Ideoaffective responses, are unconscious emotional responses, experienced when certain thoughts enter our minds, such as the memory of a past love long ago.

On a hypnotherapeutic basis, ideodynamic responses are often used to gain information from one’s unconscious mind, with approaches such as the use of the Chevreul pendulum. Another example of ideodynamic responses would be the elicitation of arm levitation, which was one of Milton Erickson’s favorites. Within the pages of the “Collected Papers of Milton Erickson” Volume II, Erickson notes that clients who manifested arm levitation also allowed the hypnotherapeutic work to proceed more quickly.


For those with extra enthusiasm Gilligan provides an excellent six point strategy for eliciting any hypnotic phenomena which goes as follows:
1) Start by generally emphasizing the value and intelligence of the unconscious,
2) Identify the general form of the phenomenon - e.g. body dissociation, age regression, amnesia - as an example of unconscious capabilities.
3) Give naturalistic examples of this general phenomenon (usually more elaborate than the above example).
4) Shift to specific hypnotic manifestations of the phenomenon, covering all possibilities.
5) Suggest that the subject's unconscious select the particular manifestation most appropriate for the subject.
6) Accept and build upon whatever responses occur.

email: dr_frank@hypnoticadvancements.com

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Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)
Hypnotic Advancements
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Mississauga , ON
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© 2004, Dr. Frank Valente Ph.D.(c)

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